Silk crushing and crimping machine



Feb. 28, 1956 L; o. ELKINS SILK CRUSHING AND CRlMPING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. La: 0. E'Luuu 5 MQW v TT QMEY Filed Dec. 23, 1954 Feb. 28, 1956 L. O. ELKINS SILK CRUSHING AND CRIMPING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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ATTOP-U EY-S Feb. 28, 1956 1.. o. EL KINS 2,736,363

SILK CRUSHING AND CRIMPING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 E la, 4 39 3e IN VEN TOR.

Lea. O- Euuus BY ATTozzuevs '0 LEE 0. Eucms p.

Feb. 28, 1956 1.. O.ELKINS 2,736,363

SILK CRUSHING AND CRIMPING MACHINE Filed Dec. 23, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l I H IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent Ofiflce 2,736,363 Patented Feb. 28, 1956 SILK CRUSHIN G AND CRIMPING MACHINE Lee 0. Elkins, Groves, Tex. Application December 23, 1954, Serial No. 477,363

2 Claims. (Cl. 154-30) The present invention relates to machines for forming crimps ina continuous web of silk and applying a backing sheet to the web for forming crushed silk for use in caskets and the like.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine for crushing and crimping a continuous web of silk and applying a backing sheet to one side of the silk to provide a crimped and crushed sheet of silk'for use in caskets, and the like, the crimps in the formed surface of the web of silk being not continuous and having a uniformly pleasing appearance from one side of the sheet to the other.

. Another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for crushing and crimping a continuous web of silk to give it a surface having a rufiled and pleasing appearance, and having a decorative effect for use in trimming caskets and the like.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and novel machine for embossing a continuous web of fabric, the machine having a continuous belt on which are upstanding lugs arranged in a continuous V-formation of pleasing appearance and one especially suited for lining and trimming of caskets.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a machine having a continuous series of belts arranged so that the center one of the belts has first contact with the web of material fed between the belts, the immediately following belts acting to spread the material without wrinkling.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a machine for forming crimps and rounded projections on the upper surface of a sheet of silk, applying a stiff backing to the silk, and forming a continuous web of silk known in the trade as crushedsilk, of pleasing appearance and having uniformly raised, rounded, and noncontinuous crimps across the one surface of the silk.

These and other objects of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of the present invention,

Figure 2 is a top-plan view,

Figure 3 is an end view on line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is another end view on line 44 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a detail view on line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a detail view on line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a view in perspective of one of the endless belts of the present invention,

Figure 8 is a plan view of another embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 9 is a side view partially in cross-section on line 9-9 of Figure 8.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the invention consists of a table or frame 10, at one end of which a pair of upright posts 11 support a roll of untreated silk indicated by the reference numeral 12.

A pair of conveyors indicated by the reference numerals 13 and 14, respectively, are arranged in superimposed relation on the frame 10 with the upper flight of the lower conveyor in abutting face-to-face relation with the lower flight of the upper conveyor. Each of the conveyors 13 and 14 consist of a plurality of belts arranged in side-toside parallel relation with respect to each other, the belts of the upper conveyor being supported upon the rollers or pulleys 15 and 16, respectively, while the belts of the lower conveyors being supported upon the pulleys 17 and 18, respectively.

A motor 19 is provided and is connected to each of the pulleys 16 and 17 by means of a flexible chain 20 which is engaged by the sprocket gears 21 and 22, each of which are driveably associated with the pulleys 16 and 17, respectively. An idler sprocket gear 23 is provided, journaled on one side of the frame 10 in order that the pulleys 16 and 17 be driven in the proper direction with relation to each other.

At the other end of the table or frame 10 remote from the pulleys 15 and 17, is provided a means for applying a backing sheet to the one surface of the silk as it is carried through the passage formed between the upper flight of the lower conveyor and the lower flight of the upper conveyor, the means for providing the backing sheet including a supply roll 24, a reservoir 25 for adhesive in the upper end of which rotates an applicator roll 26. A reversing roll 27 positioned above the applicator roll reverses the sheet of fabric indicated by the reference numeral 28 as it is unrolled from the' supply roll 24 and carried to the first of a series of pressing rolls 29.

Other pressing rolls 30 are positioned in superimposed relation with respect to the canvas pressing roll or cloth 31 which is formed in a continuous belt and travels over each of the rollers 32 and 33, the latter of which is connected for driving by the pulley 18 by means of the belt 34.

The frame 10 is provided with a table 35 over which the cloth 31 travels forming a backing for the upper flight of the lower ones of the belts which comprise the lower conveyor, carrying the sheet or web of silk under the pressing rolls 29, 30, which serve to press the adhesive coated on one side of the backing sheet to one side of the silk.

Referring to Figure 4, the lower conveyor is indicated by the reference numeral 15 and is composed of a series of V-belts 36 each of them carried by a pulley, indicated by the reference numeral 17. Each of the belts 36 are arranged in side-to-side parallel relation and as seen in Figure 7 are each provided with the upstanding lugs 37 arranged in a continuous V-formation with each of the arms of the V arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of each of the belts.

Referring to Figure 5, the lugs 37 associated with each of the belts 36 are seen to be positioned in parallel spaced relation with the lugs 38 of the belts 39 which make up the endless conveyor represented bythe reference numeral 14, in Figure 4.

Referring again to Figure 5, a steam pipe 40 is shown having an orifice which directs live steam to the underside of the web of silk indicated by the reference numeral 12.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, the shaft 41 which supports all of the pulleys 15 in the first embodiment, is seen here to have all of the pulleys 15 removed and supports the one end of a bracket 42 which journals the shaft of the first of the pulley 43, disposed in the center of the frame 10 and followed by the pulleys 44, one on each side of the pulley 43, and by the subsequent pulleys 45 and tion to support each of the endless belts 47, which are provided with the same continuous V-shaped series of lugs as in the first embodiment.

The endless belts 47 of the second embodiment are positioned intermediately of the belts 48 of the lower conveyor, and transversely of the frame 10.

Referring to Figure 8, the endless belts 43 of the lower conveyor in this embodiment are provided with a continuous series of Y-formations with the arms of each Y- formation lying parallel to the adjacent arms of the V- formations of lugs secured to the endless belts 47. The Y-formations are indicated by the reference numeral 49 in this view, While the V-formations are represented by the reference numeral 50 in this view.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, it will be seen that the web of silk 12 is formed with crimps and crushes by the opposed lugs of the upper and lower flights of the conveyor belts, which crimps are retained while the web 12 travels over the cloth 31 and the table 35, and is met with the backing strip or sheet 28. Due to the non-continuous crimps which extend transversely across the web 12, and due to the intermingling of the Y-formations of lugs on the lower series of endless belts, in the second embodiment, and the continuous series of V-formations of lugs on the upper series of endless belts, the web 12 is given a neat and attractive appearance, known to the trade as a crushed silk suitable for use in lining caskets, and the like.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9, the

bracket 42 supports the pulley 43 and similar brackets support the following pulleys 44, 45, 46, and others identically formed and supported. The pulley 43 permits its belt to engage the silk first, drawing it together from its edges as the lugs on the belt form the crimps, the following pulleys and their belts drawing the silk together as other projections and depressions are formed in the silk.

The steam applied to the silk permits this deformation of the surfaces by softening the silk fibers.

Silks having other crimping of interesting and appealing appearance may be obtained by arranging the lugs on the belts in various ways, it being obvious that the spacing, height and shape of the lugs may be modified and changed as desired to produce other patterns of crushed silk.

While other preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, other embodiments and modifications may be made and practiced within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for forming crimps in the upper and lower surface of a continuous web of sheet material comprising a frame, a plurality of endless belts carried by said frame arranged in side-by-side spaced relation, a second plurality of endless belts arranged in side-to-side spaced relation superimposed over said first-named belts, means connected to said belts for moving the latter longitudinally with respect to said frame, the upper flight of the lower ones of said belts being in abutting face-to-face relation with the lower flight of the upper ones of said belts, a plurality of upstanding lugs secured to each of said belts, the lugs associated with the upper ones of said belts being arranged in a continuous V-formation and the lugs associated with the lower ones of said belts being arranged in a continuous Y-formation with one arm of each Y-formation lug arranged in parallel spaced relation with one arm of a V-formation lug on an adjacent one of said upper belts.

2. A machine for forming crimps in the upper and lower surface of a continuous web of sheet material comprising a frame, a plurality of endless belts carried by said frame arranged in side-to-side spaced relation, a second plurality of endless belts carried by said frame arranged in side-to-side spaced relation superimposed over said first-named belts, means connected to said belts for moving the latter longitudinally with respect to said frame, the upper flight of the upper ones of said belts being in abutting face-to-face relation with the lower flight of the upper ones of said belts, a plurality of upstanding lugs secured to each of said belts, the lugs associated with the upper ones of said belts being arranged in a continuous V'formation and the lugs associated with the lower ones of said belts being arranged in a continuous Y-formation with one arm of each Y-forrnation lug arranged in parallel spaced relation with one arm of a V-formation lug on an adjacent one of said lower belts, the upper flight of said lower belts being arranged intermediate the lower flight of said upper belts transversely of said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 793,316 McMillin June 27, 1905 2,193,242 Smith Mar. 12, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS 51,501 Germany Jan. 10, 1912 

